


Fortnightly Inclinations

by Danko_Kaji



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X & Final Fantasy X-2, Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/M, Gen, M/M, Normal Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-17
Updated: 2012-01-26
Packaged: 2017-10-27 10:44:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/294953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danko_Kaji/pseuds/Danko_Kaji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Final Fantasy drabbles originally written for Livejournal's community FF_Fortnightly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Another Time and Space

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deadcellredux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadcellredux/gifts), [mako_lies (wingeddserpent)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingeddserpent/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Abandon](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/5866) by mako_lies. 



> The movie _Contagion_ inspired  Breaking Point. First two drabbles are based on this [meme](http://stardust808.livejournal.com/7496.html). Feel free to make requests! :3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Breaking Point:** A man witnesses society collapse, despite the efforts of a devoted doctor. Dedicated to _deadcellredux_ , prompt "Auron/Braska, post-apocalyptic future"
> 
>  **Pleasure Doing Business:** Just another day at work on a lovely rainy day. Dedicated to _mako_lies_ , prompt "Auron/Lulu, Company AU"
> 
>  **Attachment:** They helped their loved ones save the world and now the memory of their sacrifices haunt them in the afterlife. Tidus, Aerith. Companion piece to  Abandon by _mako_lies_. Prompt #120, "punishment and reward."

Braska watches the world wither as pandemic strikes through fomite transmission and society falls apart; victims stay home, healthy people forsake intimacy. His colleagues search for answers to an imaginary cure, and the famous doctor heads the case of tracing the devil’s magic back to its origins… with little success.

Every day Braska loses someone he loves, someone he cares for — his family, his friends — yet his bodyguard maintains a stoic mask, never allows this horror to move his heart, and comforts this kind soul in place of his deceased wife.  


They have each other until the day they die.

~

  
The office closes in 5 minutes. Blazers and knee-length skirts run faster than the wind on their way to their respective cars. Lulu loves rainstorms and prefers walking, since she has never cared for convenient transportation and spots her boss's associate from Japan standing before the glass double doors, glaring through sunglasses in a state worse for wear — one arm slung in a cast, his free hand clasping a suitcase.

Lulu dares to approach him, opening her umbrella inside even though it's bad luck, but she wants to challenge fate today, and says,

"Would you like me to escort you?”

~

  
“Heeey~! Watcha doin?”

Startled by the casual exuberance, Aerith expects to see Zack again – looking for her, keeping her company; that’s what he does – but for once the Lifestream surprises her. This young and energetic teen jogs across the flower field to reach her, soles so fast Aerith cannot see them touch the grass – like a sun racing around the world forever out of reach.

“Hiya! I’ve never seen you around before.”

Giggle. Flirtatious smile. “Hiya. I can say the same for you.” Blue eyes crinkle.

“Did you just die?”

Gravity seizes the heart that no longer exists. A dead wind steals her breath away. Bewilderment breaks the spell and Aerith straightens herself, speechless. He spoke his question like a child, innocent in its curiosity; now he looks away, kicking at the dirt. “...cuz, you know, you’re looking down at your world watching your friends live, right?”

Aerith manages to smile, somehow. “Did you... just die, too?”

“Nah. I kinda... disappeared, I guess. I wish I did, though.” Before she can ask what he meant by “disappear”, clarity kills her all over again. “So my friends would stop looking for me. I wish they’d forget their memories and move on.”


	2. Two Sides of a Coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Incompatible Attraction:** They flirt in a strange, silent, tense manner befitting a gentleman and a tomboy. Baralai/Paine. Prompt #110, "leather."
> 
>  **Mocha:** Her love for coffee started when he treated her to a mocha latte. Baralai/Yuna. AU. Prompt #123, "Parallel Roles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second drabble is "parallel" in the sense it's based on the daily experiences of my friend who lives out in Pennsylvania. :3

Baralai has never seen a woman wear leather before, let alone look so petite and masculine also. Curiosity led him to this moment, where they are alone in their single tent while the others scout. She fails to intimidate him, stubborn not to back down when he invades her personal space.

He strokes her sword arm until reaching the elbow. Paine glares, not welcoming, yet not rejecting. Even her face, jaw tense and cheek clenched, feels unyielding like leather in the hottest heat and savage sand storms.

Baralai admires her strength as much as he dislikes her taste in clothing.

~

“I hate these high winds and bitter, bitter cold...” Yuna sneezes, and clasps her coat tighter. On another bitter windy day, Yuna has to walk to work. Her jeans don’t shield her legs from turning lizard-like in this merciless, zero degree chill!

Bursting through the doors of Starbucks, Yuna arrives red in the face, a little dizzy and stiff. She wants a latte to defrost herself, _now_. Behind the counter, a handsome tan coworker welcomes her. “Good morning, Yuna. Would you like some hot chocolate to warm up?”

Yuna blushes. “Thank you, Baralai. I’d love to have some.”

Baralai does what he does best - routine efficiency. Hot milk, melted chocolate, and brisk stirring; he even adds the little marshmallows Yuna loves so much. He concocts the cure in record time. At the smallest sip mocha sears her tongue, killing her cold from the heart first on its way to the stomach. Baralai smiles at her bashful contentment.

Yuna remembers the day she wandered in alone, looking for a job, and he had been there, gracious and sympathetic. By the following month, he started training her, and always kept his hands to himself.

Nowadays he drives her home.


	3. a dream within a dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Your Dream Is The Scene Of The Crime:** Inception parody, part 1/3. FFX-styled. Prompt #123, "Parallel Roles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [Inception Trailer 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSyQ3K0xnYg).

Sunglasses lampshade madness.  
Jecht sounds the siren. Auron makes his move.

_“What’s the most resilient parasite? A fantasy."_

Round and round Yuna spins her staff,  
spinning pyreflies, spinning the threads of her dream.

_"One fantasy born from a Summoner can build cities."_

Starlight ignites the universe. Pyreflies  
roam through planets, and Zanarkand reincarnates.  
Tidus does not recognize the people he sees  
in Seymour Guado’s sphere recording.

_"A fantasy can transform the world and rewrite all the rules."_

Atop the peak of Gagazet Mountain, a  
statue-esque mural channels an eternal sleeping waterfall.

_"Which is why... the story must end.”_


	4. the dream has yet to end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Your Dream Is The Scene Of The Crime:** Inception parody, FFX-2 styled. Part 2/3. Prompt #123, "Parallel Roles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [Inception Trailer 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSyQ3K0xnYg).

Lightning storms.  
Shuyin plays the organ.  
Vegnagun awakens.

_“Never recreate from your memory.”_

Lightwaves.  
Trema the Unsent fluxes  
the collective unconscious; Yevon's  
Zanarkand in its former glory.

_“Always imagine new places.”_

Two years, the Eternal Calm.  
Yuna dashes the bustling streets of Luca.  
Pyreflies flee in the form of a ghostly moogle.

_“He’s hiding something...”_

The Gullwings infiltrate Bevelle;  
there the Praetor stands guard at the entrance.  
Right hand Razor Rod, left hand magic and machina.

_“...and we need to find out what that is.” ___

Nooj wanders the Underground.  
Baralai investigates. Vegnagun has gone rogue  
like Spira's three beloved faction leaders.

_“We got to break out of here.”_

Den of Woe.  
Music of destruction echoes.  
Soldiers kill comrades,  
driven insane.

_“Give him the kick!”_

Friends reunite at the crossroads.  
Unanswered questions resurrect inner demons.  
A cloud of pyreflies possesses an innocent, vengeful man.

_“This was not a part of the plan!”_

Yuna falls asleep in her songstress attire  
and dreams of _him_ – of them together – in a  
world where tragedies come true.

_"Wake me up~!"_

Lovers run from the law.  
Crimson soldiers aim their rifles.  
War criminals are terminated, torn apart  
from one another's embrace.

_“Wake me up!”_


	5. Love Letters, part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love letters sent over the course of Yuna's uneventful life and Baralai's busy work schedule. Post-game, Normal Ending. Tidus/Yuna hints.

_Dear Lady Yuna,_

_I hope life has been kind to you._

It had only been four days after the Vegnagun crisis when Yuna received a letter via air mail. Crisp, cream parchment sealed with personal feelings. Lulu held onto it until Yuna returned from her daily morning swim.

_I write this to you_  
 _As we are many miles apart,_  
 _Surrounded by a crescendo of sounds._

His opening poetic lines flatter her, despite the paternal look Wakka throws her way. _I am sitting in a sandwich shop right now, ordering my lunch when you happen to cross my mind,_ he had written, _Gippal teases me to no end, of course, but Nooj on the other hand..._

Elegant handwriting lightens in sync to his anxiety, his words bolder by polite flirtation and tentative fondness. Her mind’s eye conjures his present image unbidden, back straight, legs folded, lovely eyes focused, his handsome face calm in concentration. The silly smile and subconscious giggle scares Wakka. 

_I wonder how you are doing. Do you fare better than I come sleepless nights? It haunts me, and so much has been left unspoken between us..._

Yes. Like her love for a fleeting dream.

Yuna closes her eyes.

~

_Dear Baralai,_

_I'm glad to hear from you. ___

Seven days since his first letter had been sent, the wrinkled response lies clutched in his hands. The Kilikan ambassador decided to make her cousin’s privacy difficult to accomplish; right now two adults fall back into childhood routine.

_Your way with words always impress me. Have you ever thought about writing your own book? But I don’t see you writing an autobiography so maybe not..._

_Did you know? Wakka and Lulu have a baby now! I babysit him sometimes when the parents want to... um... Never mind._

_Well, how are you feeling nowadays?_

“Finally!” Paper almost rips upon possessive ensnarement, and Baralai steps aside to dodge her undignified lunge. “Do not force me to employ gravity on you.” Whole-hearted threat falls between mischievous smirks, and Baralai keeps eyes in the back of his head, power walking when sensing Dona approach. 

_I have trouble falling asleep, too, for my own reasons... Maybe we should find a way to eliminate this problem we share. Any suggestions?_

_Oh, I know! You should come vacation in Besaid._

“Hmm? Well, sounds like she wants–.”

“Quieten.”

_If you ever need a friend, I’m here._


	6. Cry For Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baralai makes the final decision. His last resort, a desperate act wrapped within conspiracy. Post-game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) BEHOLD THE HOLY WORDS OF HEAVEN_MONUMENT (Livejournal)! THEY DO NOT BELONG TO ME.

“I am glad you all could attend today.”

“What is the meaning of this, Praetor?”

They hold a meeting off the record. Door locked by tradition, the room soundproof and a favorite of Maesters passed. Mysterious urgency incriminates his impatience, of tireless months gone and excuses made and tolerated. 

Baralai smiles. No more.

“Are you familiar with the tale of the Ouroboros?”

“Ahem. Praetor, if I may presume... we have no time for your scholarly inclinations–.”

“It is the snake that eats its own tail, a symbol of life, death, and rebirth. A vision of immortality and renewal. It promotes power, elegance, and dynamism.(1) Fascinating, isn’t it? We should aspire towards that."

“...We do not follow.” 

“Is this in any way relevant to our goals?”

“But of course. This has everything to do with New Yevon. You see...”

Chair screeches. Hands in his sleeves, Baralai circles the room. One step at a time.

“I grow weary of this cycle. We reap fruitless grounds none of you desires to abandon. It has become apparent to me...” Head held high, Baralai glowers at his fellow men and women and withdraws an instrument of secrecy. “Compromise became an option impossible to plant." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **heaven_monument : I hereby promote this work as the official work commeratoring the third anniversary of Final Fantasy Fortnightly.**


End file.
